Dave Smith Launches Dave4Dinnington Campaign

Dinnington local activist Dave Smith is the latest to enter the fray for May’s local elections. He intends to challenge the incumbent Labour Councillor Jacquie Falvey for Dinnington ward.

Launching is Dave4Dinnington website he says:

“I make no secret of the fact that I will be standing as an independent candidate in the Rotherham Borough Council elections in May.  The question I get asked the most is what difference can one person make when faced with the might of the political parties.  So I think I should point out the changes I have forced Dinnington Town council to adopt, and this whilst not being an elected member of the Town or Borough council.  Dinnington Town council has been misusing the 1972 local government act, to keep the general public from hearing what decisions these people were making supposedly in our interests.  Virtually all of the council business was being conducted in secret, I challenged this and made them change the way they conduct their meetings; the public can now stay for all of the meeting.  This means that what for years was secret is now open to public scrutiny, I did this.  Then I took them on about their secret committees, they had two, one was  the finance committee and the other the asset committee.  They were keeping the public out of these committees by misusing another act, I have forced them to disband the finance committee because this has to be dealt with in the full council meeting; and the asset committee has to now allow the public into their meetings.  These are important changes it means the council has to conduct its business in front of the very people who’s money they are spending.  I did this because I believe that the public should be able to see at all times what their elected politicians are doing.  I did this whilst a member of the public just imagine what I could do as an elected councillor.  It is worth noting that in all the years I have been attending the council meetings there has been no sign of the Conservatives or UKIP attending yet when it comes to the election they will be asking for your vote.  I am active all the time not just at elections.“

Let’s hope he gets a better picture this time, the last one looked like something off Crimewatch.

For balance I should state that we will also be seeking to give full coverage to all candidates if and when we hear something about them.

Labour Fires the First Shot in Run Up to the Elections

Got this through the post the other day from our local Labour politicians. May is election time and they have wasted no time at all by starting things off with this little note.

Shame about the photographs, come on guys, get yourselves a decent photographer!

What have our Councillors been up to?

Ever wondered just what your local Councillors actually do? How they spend their time and money whilst they are representing us? Me too, so join with me and digest the cornucopia of information below.

BECK Dominic  (Councillor from May 2011)

(a) committees

Vice-Chair of Self Regulation Select Commission (May 2013 to date)

Self Regulation Select Commission (May 2011 to date)

Health Select Commission (May 2011 to May 2013)

Licensing Board (May 2011 to date)

Overview and Scrutiny Management Board (May 2013 to date)

Standards Committee (May 2013 to date)

Senior Adviser to Cabinet Member for Community Development, Equality and Young People’s Issues (May 2012 to May 2013)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Community Development, Equality and Young People’s Issues (May 2011 to May 2012)

Groundworks Trusts Panel (May 2012 to May 2013)

(b) other roles

Wales Educational Foundation  (May 2012 to date)

Rotherham Citizen’s Advice Bureau – Trustee Board (May 2012 to May 2013)

Rother Valley Country Park Steering Group (May 2012 to date)

Unity Centre Steering Group (2011 to 2013)

 

BURTON Josephine   (Councillor from May 2002)

(a) committees

Health Select Commission (May 2011 to May 2013)

Improving Lives Select Commission (May 2013 to date)

Licensing Board (May 2002 to May 2004 and May 2009 to May 2011)

Planning Board (May 2004 to May 2011)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Communities and Cohesion May 2013 to date)

Senior Adviser to Cabinet Member for Community Development, Equality and Young People’s Issues (May 2011 to May 2013)

Senior Adviser to Cabinet Member for Community Development and Engagement (May 2009 to May 2011)

Senior Adviser to Cabinet Member for Communities and Involvement (May 2007 to May 2009)

Senior Adviser to Cabinet Member for Children and Young People’s Services (May 2005 to May 2007)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Community Cohesion  (May 2005 to May 2007)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Community Planning and Social Inclusion (May 2004 to May 2005)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Social Services (May 2002 to May 2004)

Adult Services and Health Scrutiny Panel (May 2005 to May 2007 and May 2010 to May 2011)

Vice-Chair of Children and Young People’s Services Scrutiny Panel (May 2007 to May 2009)

Children and Young People’s Services Scrutiny Panel (May 2007 to May 2009)

Democratic and Resources Scrutiny Panel (May 2003 to May 2004)

Democratic Renewal Scrutiny Panel (May 2002 to May 2003)

Environment Scrutiny Panel (May 2002 to May 2003)

Social and Community Support Scrutiny Panel (May 2004 to May 2005)

Performance and Scrutiny Overview Committee (May 2007 to May 2009)

Transport Liaison Group (May 2012 to date)

(b) other roles

Redbarn- Rowan Management Group (2006 to 2008)

Rotherham Alcohol Advisory Service (2006)

Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership (2007 to 2008)

RMBC and Voluntary Action Rotherham Liaison Group (May 2009 to May 2010)

Voluntary Action Rotherham – Board of Trustees Executive Committee (2011 to date)

Women’s Refuge Group (May 2009 to date)

Women’s Strategy Group (2009 to date)

Yorkshire Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (May 2012 to date)

 

DALTON Judy    (Councillor from May 2011)

(a) committees

Vice-Chair of Health Select Commission (May 2012 to date)

Health Select Commission (May 2011 to date)

Licensing Board (May 2013 to date)

Licensing Committee (May 2013 to date)

Overview and Scrutiny Management Board (May 2012 to date)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Culture and Tourism  (May 2013 to date)

Senior Adviser to Cabinet Member for Culture, Lifestyle, Sport and Tourism (May 2011 to May 2012)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Safeguarding Children and Adults (May 2012 to May 2013)

Transport Liaison Group (May 2012 to date)

(b) other roles

Hospital Teaching and Home Tuition Service (2012 to 2013)

South Yorkshire Joint Committee on Archaeology (May 2012 to May 2013)

Renewal or Discharge of Guardianship Order Panel (May 2013 to date)

FALVEY Jacqui    (Councillor from May 2007)

(a) committees

Vice-Chair of the Rother Valley South Area Assembly (May 2011 to date)

Chair of Improving Places Select Commission (May 2013 to date)

Vice-Chair of Improving Places Select Commission (May 2011 to May 2013)

Improving Places Select Commission (May 2011 to date)

Licensing Board (May 2007 to date)

Licensing Committee (May 2011 to May 2013)

Local Plan Steering Group (May 2013 to date)

Overview and Scrutiny Management Board (May 2011 to date)

Senior Adviser to Cabinet Member for Cultural Services and Sport (May 2009 to May 2011)

Senior Adviser to Cabinet Member for Lifelong Learning (May 2007 to May 2009)

Children and Young People’s Services Scrutiny Panel (May 2010 to May 2011)

Sustainable Communities Scrutiny Panel (May 2007 to May 2011)

Transport Liaison Group (May 2012 to date)

(b) other roles

Adoption Panel (2010 to date)

Redbarn- Rowan Management Group (2007 to date)

Chesterfield Canal Partnership (2013 to date)

 

HAVENHAND Jane   (Councillor from May 2004)

(a) committees

Chair of the Rother Valley South Area Assembly (May 2010 to date)

Vice-Chair of the Rother Valley South Area Assembly (May 2007 to May 2010)

Health Select Commission (May 2013 to date)

Improving Places Select Commission (May 2011 to May 2013)

Licensing Board (May 2004 to date)

Licensing Committee (May 2005 to date)

Education Consultative Committee (May 2008 to May 2013)

Rotherham Local Admissions Forum (May 2007 to date)

Senior Adviser to Cabinet Member for Children and Young People’s Services (May 2007 to May 2011)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Children and Young People’s Services (May 2005 to May 2007)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Safeguarding and Developing Learning Opportunities for Children (May 2011 to May 2012)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Safeguarding Children and Adults (May 2012 to May 2013)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Lifelong Learning (May 2008 to May 2009)

Adult Services and Health Scrutiny Panel (May 2005 to May 2006)

Sustainable Communities Scrutiny Panel (May 2006 to May 2011)

Social and Community Support Scrutiny Panel (May 2004 to May 2005)

(b) other roles

Adoption Panel (2007 to date)

Rotherham Holiday Aid (2006 to date)

Rotherham Women’s Refuge (2008 to 2009)

Dinnington Community Centre and Recreation Group – Trustee Group (2008 to date)

Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership (2007 to 2011)

Rural Action Yorkshire (2011 to 2013)

 

JEPSON Clive    (Councillor from May 2012)

Improving Places Select Commission (May 2012 to date)

 

TWEED Simon     (Councillor from May 2008)

(a) committees

Planning Board (May 2008 to date)

Self Regulation Select Commission (May 2011 to date)

Standards Committee (May 2013 to date)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing (May 2013 to date)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Environment (May 2011 to May 2012)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Streetpride Services (May 2010 to May 2011)

Adviser to Cabinet Member for Children and Young People’s Services (May 2009 to May 2010)

Democratic Renewal Scrutiny Panel (May 2008 to May 2011)

(b) other roles

Dinnington Community Centre and Recreation Group – Trustee Group (2008 to date)

Rotherham Holiday Aid (2008)

Local Government Association – Rural Commission (May 2011 to May 2012)

Plans Revealed for Birkdale Avenue Playing Field

The developer Taylor Wimpey has revealed it’s plans to develop the Rotherham Council owned playing field at the end of Birkdale Avenue.

To summarise they plan to build a load of houses over it and replace it with a much smaller open space a long way from where local children play currently.

This is where the plot lies:

Having been previously told by the developer that they had no interest in the playing field I am not happy, I am also less than thrilled with Rotherham Council who seem to be willing to see what little recreational land we have left built on.

Well last week I handed in 150 evidence forms claiming the footpaths that people currently use on that land, so I hope the owners of the new houses will be OK with me walking through their back gardens and riding my bike through their dining room.

Full PDF plans are available here and here.

Dinnington’s Broken Relationship with RMBC

At a time when national politics is focussing on our (possibly?) broken relationship with Europe, Dinnington and Anston politics, I feel should be looking towards our most definitely broken relationship with Rotherham Borough Council.

It feels to me like RMBC are essentially pulling out of Dinnington and Anston, they are closing the Service Centre, we have no public swimming or leisure centre and the state of our roads gets worse every year. Dinnington is supposed to be a town but has a very rural bus service!

Our Borough Councillors are not helping matters, Councillors Falvey and Havenhand in Dinnington and Dalton and Burton in Anston should be off fighting our cause in Rotherham, instead they are basically told what will happen to Dinnington and sent back to tell us all the bad news and trot out the Labour party line.

They act like Imperial Viceroys reigning over us while the real decisions are taken at the Borough by their political masters, any awkward questions at Dinnington Town Council or Anston Parish are brushed off by political guff from RMBC crib sheets and sly complacent smiles.

We don’t want Councillors who care first and foremost for their own standing in their political party, we want them to be fighting for us! Has anyone noticed how all these “consultations” RMBC launch in Dinnington and Anston invariably end the same way? With RMBC doing what they were going to do anyway?

We are a “Principal Township” when it comes to building new houses on our countryside. When it comes to library hours, service centres and leisure facilities it’s all forgotten.

The only way to break this cycle of events is for us to change the way we vote, that’s the only language the comrades in Rotherham will understand. Anston saw a glimmer of hope last year when Clive Jepson defeated the every so slightly slimy Darren Hughes. We need the same thing to happen again and I would call on anyone who would like to stand as an independent candidate in next years elections and put the people first to do just that. Many people in Dinnington and Anston would support them.

And it would send the right message to Rotherham, don’t take us for granted or you will end up with another bloody nose.

Dinnington Town Council AGM 13/05/2013

It’s Monday the thirteenth which may be unlucky for some, but surely not for us as we are off to Dinnington Town Council which is usually a civilised affair.

If we were off to the Parish Hall I’d be packing my body armour and taking at least 12 sick bags, but these cares are far from our heart in the lovely Lyric.

There’s a good-ish attendance as the Cllrs roll in, Judy Dalton has paid us a visit as a member of the public as have Bodie and Doyle, aka Cllrs Jepson and Thornton. Judy hasn’t brought her fan club with her, must be their night off. We also have Save our Greenbelt and Dave Smith and Mr Lewis present, so here we go!

This is the AGM so the Chair Cllr Pauline Davies kicks off with a brief summary of the year past, she also announces she will not be standing for another term and so her reign ends. The torch and the chain passes to Cllr Ralph McIver, Pauline volunteers to move down the bench to Vice Chair so they have essentially swapped places.

We move on to the public forum with a question from Save our Greenbelt who ask the Council to request a clean-up of the Timber Yard building site.

My question is whether or not the Council will consider obtaining two RMBC assets that the Borough seem to want rid of, the Birkdale Playing Fields and RMBC Service Centre.

Dave Smith is next and starts with a stinging attack on the way the meeting is being conducted. No minutes or agenda are provided on the web site and the public and Cllrs are having to share agendas at the meeting or the public would have had nothing to look at. He welcomes the socialist spirit of sharing present in the room, however.

He continues with his actual question: What do the Council think to the closure of the Service Centre?

Cllr Jepson (the Dinno one) jumps in and says the consultation was a sham and the Borough had made their minds up before it started. Comments are made but the Borough Cllrs Falvey and Havenhand are made very conspicuous by their silence.

Only when directly asked by Mr Smith does Cllr Falvey jump to their defence and says they constantly fight for Dinnington and it could have been worse.

Cllr Russell defends the two Borough Cllrs, but this doesn’t go down very well with the public and frankly I don’t blame them. Labour Borough Cllrs in this part of the world act like Imperial Viceroys, commands are handed down from the Borough and they come back to take their seats in Dinnington and break the bad news to us. It’s something we are seeing again and again, instead of aggressively representing our cause at the Borough they are merely Labour policy apologists and it’s high time it changed.

The public session ends with Save our Greenbelt protesting that they have not been allowed to speak, ooops move on!

The state of the roads are mentioned and lamented, however Cllr Falvey jumps in here as well to defend the Borough, oh God.

Cllr Tweed has arrived by now to bring the Boroughs up to full strength so on we plough.

Next up the Parishes in the south of the Borough have joined up and requested that RMBC improve their communications to all concerned. The request was made in April and no reply has been forthcoming. An incredulous silence is only broken when Dave Smith asks for clarification  as even he can’t believe what he just heard.

The Local Plan is discussed and Cllrs informed that the RMBC road show on 20 June will be accompanied by additional days at the Lyric put on by the Town Council to make sure everyone gets to hear of the plans.

Cllr Jepson asks if cabinet members from RMBC might also be invited but Cllr Falvey again jumps in and says the existing arrangements are OK. She also appeared to suggest at one stage that Council officers attending the event would be expressing Council opinion rather than just providing facts and listening to residents. When challenged by Mr Smith she said this was not what she intended to say.

This does raise an interesting question as she definitely did say something along the lines of “Cllrs and officers can give the public information to help them form their own opinion, rather than the opinions of others.”

This does seem a possible dig at the various protest groups which have been campaigning against the plans for some time now. If anyone feels I’m wrong here please feel free to comment.

Lastly the possibility of the Town Council acquiring the RMBC Service Centre, the Council is split on this, some like Cllr Wardle say that we should not have to buy what is provided free to other towns. Good point.

Cllr Tweed says it could be a good opportunity for Dinnington to acquire an excellent resource. OK, yep good point.

The now Vice Chair Cllr Davies says that RMBC should give it away to Dinnington. Bloody good point!

Cllr Wardle laments at the lack of support shown to Dinnington and once again the tiresome Cllr Falvey is there to defend the Borough. Sorry but it’s getting boring.

The public half of the meeting ends as the Cllrs descend to private session, we advise Ralph to get a few more links on his chain, Ali G is mentioned at one point but it’s all in good fun as we depart for the post meeting post mortem on the pavement.

A full helping of debate and intrigue with none of the nastiness and poison spitting that you usually find over the border  Hurrah.